Digital screen time during COVID-19 pandemic: A public health concern

Sultana, Abida; Tasnim, Samia; Bhattacharya, Sudip; Hossain, Mahbub; Purohit, Neetu

doi:10.31235/osf.io/e8sg7

Cited by 36 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Misinformation and disinformation from available media sources may create psychological distress, whereas the lack of access to reliable sources may leave individuals with uncertainties regarding this pandemic [ 103 ]. Moreover, people confined at home or those with altered work style from home may have been exposed to excessive digital media time or screen use behavior that may influence their mental health [ 104 , 105 ]. Further research is needed to clarify how the type, duration, contents, and quality of media use can influence anxiety, depression, and other mental health outcomes in South Asian populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of anxiety and depression in South Asia during COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Hossain

Rahman

Trisha

et al. 2021

Heliyon

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Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted biopsychosocial health and wellbeing globally. Pre-pandemic studies suggest a high prevalence of common mental disorders, including anxiety and depression in South Asian countries, which may aggravate during this pandemic. This systematic meta-analytic review was conducted to estimate the pooled prevalence of anxiety and depression in South Asian countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method We systematically searched for cross-sectional studies on eight major bibliographic databases and additional sources up to October 12, 2020, that reported the prevalence of anxiety or depression in any of the eight South Asian countries. A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled proportion of anxiety and depression. Results A total of 35 studies representing 41,402 participants were included in this review. The pooled prevalence of anxiety in 31 studies with a pooled sample of 28,877 was 41.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 34.7–48.1, I 2 = 99.18%). Moreover, the pooled prevalence of depression was 34.1% (95% CI: 28.9–39.4, I 2 = 99%) among 37,437 participants in 28 studies. Among the South Asian countries, India had a higher number of studies, whereas Bangladesh and Pakistan had a higher pooled prevalence of anxiety and depression. No studies were identified from Afghanistan, Bhutan, and Maldives. Studies in this review had high heterogeneity, high publication bias confirmed by Egger's test, and varying prevalence rates across sub-groups. Conclusion South Asian countries have high prevalence rates of anxiety and depression, suggesting a heavy psychosocial burden during this pandemic. Clinical and public mental health interventions should be prioritized alongside improving the social determinants of mental health in these countries. Lastly, a low number of studies with high heterogeneity requires further research exploring the psychosocial epidemiology during COVID-19, which may inform better mental health policymaking and practice in South Asia.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of anxiety and depression in South Asia during COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Hossain

Rahman

Trisha

et al. 2021

Heliyon

Self Cite

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“…Stockweel and colleagues [ 20 ] pointed out an increase in sedentary behaviours particularly regarding screen activity, not only in a university context, but also in different samples and countries. A rising trend of prolonged screen time may potentially have implications on physical and mental wellbeing [ 49 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relation among Perceived Weight Change, Sedentary Activities and Sleep Quality during COVID-19 Lockdown: A Study in an Academic Community in Northern Italy

Cremasco

Mulasso

Moroni

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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In Italy, COVID-19 lockdown was imposed from 8 March until 3 May 2020 with negative consequences on the lifestyles and health of people. Within this context, the paper aims: (i) to analyse the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on perceived weight changes; (ii) to evaluate factors associated with the perception of weight changes (Body Mass Index (BMI), sleep quality, time spent in sedentary activities), in an Italian academic community of students and workers. A total of 3666 participants took part in this cross-sectional study (2838 students and 828 workers, of whom 73.0% were female). T-test, Chi-square test and the two-way ANOVA were used. Results showed that 43.3% of participants perceived a weight gain. Workers experienced a more substantial increase in body weight (0.7 kg) compared to students (0.3 kg; p = 0.013). A significant difference between preobese/obese workers (0.9 kg) and students (−0.3 kg; p < 0.001) was found. Overall, 57.0% of the sample was characterized by high levels of sedentary activities. Sedentary people noticed a higher weight gain (0.4 kg) compared to less sedentary people (0.3 kg; p = 0.048). More than 45% of participants reported a worsening of sleep quality and showed a perceived increase in body weight (0.5 kg) in comparison to those who improved their sleep quality (no weight change; p = 0.001). Designing tailored interventions to promote health-related behaviours during lockdown periods is essential.

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“…In addition to childcare challenges and increased screen-time usage, COVID-19 also promoted a more sedentary lifestyle, which can have detrimental effects on physical and mental health [19,[23][24][25]. Recent research found that percentage of U.S. adults sitting more than 8 h per day increased 24% from pre-(16%) to during-(40%) confinement [23].…”

Section: Revisiting Our Methodology In a Covid-19 Eramentioning

confidence: 99%

Responding to Social Distancing in Conducting Stakeholder Workshops in COVID-19 Era

2020

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In March 2020, COVID-19 disrupted global society. Impacts as a result of COVID-19 were seen in all industries, including higher education research, which was paused in order to accommodate newly imposed restrictions. Social science research, specifically stakeholder engagement research, was one area that was potentially impacted given its need for person-to-person interaction. Here, we describe how we successfully adjusted our stakeholder engagement methodology to accommodate for socially distant requirements. Initially, we planned to host in-person workshops to assess stakeholder perceptions of microplastics impacts on oysters in Boston Harbor and coastal Massachusetts using the deliberative multicriteria evaluation (DMCE) methodology. To transfer these workshops online, we used familiar, open-access platforms, Zoom and GoogleDrive, to enable dialogue among participants and evaluate preferences. While modifications to length (5 to 3 h) and order (participants were asked to watch expert videos before their participation date) of the workshop were necessary, most other elements of the methodology remained the same for the online format. The main element that was lacking was the in-person interactions. However, with video conferencing tools available, this element was not completely lost.

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Digital screen time during COVID-19 pandemic: A public health concern

Cited by 36 publications

References 29 publications

Prevalence of anxiety and depression in South Asia during COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Prevalence of anxiety and depression in South Asia during COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Relation among Perceived Weight Change, Sedentary Activities and Sleep Quality during COVID-19 Lockdown: A Study in an Academic Community in Northern Italy

Responding to Social Distancing in Conducting Stakeholder Workshops in COVID-19 Era

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